Subject Area

Communication, Education, Humanities, Social Sciences, General/Other

Abstract

This study examined the impact of cultural educational narratives for six Latinas earning an undergraduate or graduate degree. Each Latina earned their degree from Southern Methodist University, a private university in Dallas, Texas. Specifically, this study examined the college decision-making process based on the Perna Conceptual College Choice Model. Using the lens of Intersectionality and Latino Critical Race Theory, the focus of this study is to understand the narratives shared by Latinas about the stories told to them by the Latino culture about decision-making relating to education. This study employed a qualitative research design. During the study, Latinas were interviewed twice for one hour each. Testimonio, defined as a first-person account written by an individual or a witness of events, is used as the research methodology for this study. Grounded in Chicana feminist epistemology and Latina/Latino critical theory, Testimonio is relatively new in the research space. These frameworks were used to analyze and understand the cultural educational narratives for Latinas from parents, teachers, counselors, and peers throughout the college choice process. This study found that seven distinct cultural educational narratives emerged and significantly impacted the higher educational journey of these research participants. This research suggests that educators, program developers, policymakers, and community organizations must understand the collectivist community of Latinas and the cultural educational narratives they are exposed to relating to their journey toward pursuing higher education.

Degree Date

Winter 12-16-2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Department

HCIS

Advisor

Bruce Levy, PHD

Second Advisor

Jennifer Parvin, PHD

Third Advisor

Mag Gabbert, PHD

Acknowledgements

I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the research participants who generously contributed to this study. I wholeheartedly acknowledge your choice to share your cultural educational narratives, and I deeply value the trust you have placed in me to convey your stories. Your willingness to share has been important in advancing our understanding and shedding light on the vital themes and experiences explored in this research. Thank you for your invaluable contributions I want to acknowledge and extend great appreciation to Dr. Bruce Levy, my dissertation committee chair. Thank you for your continued guidance and support on my doctoral journey. I would also like to thank Dr. Jennifer Parvin and Dr. Mag Gabbert for serving on my dissertation committee and exposing me to new knowledge and opportunities. I understand how fortunate I am to have each of you as my professor at various points in this doctoral program. Thank you to Dr. Allison Kanny for your weekly support for the past year and through the research process.

Number of Pages

109

Format

.pdf

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

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